"You need to know how to drive the car first" - Former opener showers praise on Abhishek Sharma's 68-run knock in AUS vs IND 2nd T20I

Former India opener Aakash Chopra has lauded Abhishek Sharma for scoring an enterprising half-century in the second T20I against Australia. He noted that the left-handed opener has been given the license to bat aggressively at the top of the order because he has the skills to do so.

Abhishek smashed 68 runs off 37 deliveries as India were bowled out for 125 in Melbourne on Friday, October 31. Australia then achieved the target with four wickets and 40 deliveries to spare to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Chopra was asked about Abhishek making the most of the license given to him to bat destructively at the top of the order.

"To be fair, if you give a license to someone, it doesn't mean they will drive the car well. You need to know how to drive the car first, and then if you get the license, you can drive it better. He has the ability. The way he is batting, I think stems from belief. You didn't change your style of taking down top-quality fast bowling," he responded.

The cricketer-turned-commentator noted that Abhishek was willing to target the straight boundaries even on the bouncy conditions in Australia.

"Many times when you reach Australia, you think runs will be scored square off the wicket only. However, he said that he can step out and hit the world's premier bowler straight. So, whoever comes in front of him, wherever it may be, whether in Dubai or MCG, his playing style has been successful there, and he has the conviction and belief that it will be successful here as well," Chopra observed.

To conclude, Aakash Chopra noted that Abhishek Sharma is a very important cog in India's scheme of things. However, he opined that the 25-year-old's attacking approach might also be forcing Shubman Gill to bat overaggressively, which could prove counterproductive.

---

"You cannot consistently clear such a big ground" - Parthiv Patel lauds Abhishek Sharma's knock in AUS vs IND 2nd T20I

Abhishek Sharma struck eight fours and two sixes during his 68-run knock. [P/C: Getty]

In the same discussion, former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel was asked what Abhishek Sharma did better than the other batters.

"The Indian team wants to bat aggressively, that they will try and play big shots from the first ball, which Abhishek Sharma did, but between that, the strike rotation was fantastic. He played only one dot ball in his first 25 balls. You cannot consistently clear such a big ground. If you have to hit the ball in the air, you have to play it in the gap," he replied.

The Gujarat Titans (GT) assistant coach noted that the destructive batter adopted a tactical approach.

"When he was playing the pull shot towards square leg, he was playing it down, and when he was hitting towards fine leg, he was coming inside the line and hitting it in the air. Abhishek Sharma batted extremely well tactically. If someone else had supported him, more runs would have been scored," Parthiv explained.

Abhishek Sharma was eventually dismissed lbw off Nathan Ellis' bowling. Apart from him, Harshit Rana (35 off 33) was the only Indian player to reach double digits in Friday's game.